Smartphone bans have little to no impact on student well-being, study reveals
Smartphone bans have little or no impact on education, online bullying and wellbeing among students, according to a new study by Dublin City University.
Last week, new national guidance was issued to schools on restricting mobile phone use. Primary schools now require a policy to ban the use of and access to mobile phones during the school day, while secondary schools require a policy to restrict mobile phone use during the school day.
Some €9million in funding has been allocated for schools to look at a range of storage solutions, including lockable boxes, cubby holes for drop-off and collection at the school office.
It followed opposition criticism of a plan to fund 'phone pouches' across secondary schools.
A €9million scheme to provide the pouches to second-level schools, announced in last October's budget, sparked controversy at the time, and it was labelled 'wasteful' .
The Government then U-turned, telling schools last week they can apply for up to €25 per student to purchase secure storage solutions for mobile phones, such as pouches or lock boxes.
However, doubts have been cast over the policy's effectiveness.
Researchers from DCU's Anti-Bullying Centre found that the stricter the phone ban, the more students look for ways to subvert it.
A new report has looked at existing international research as well as a new Irish study on the experiences of students.
In the DCU report, researchers examined existing international research on smartphone bans and related research on smartphones and their use among children and adolescents.
It found that international research is 'clearly mixed and somewhat conflicting', with most studies showing that smartphone ban policies can have 'little or no impact on education and wellbeing among students' in different countries.
The study found no current research can be said to definitively demonstrate that smartphone bans completely protect children and adolescents from online bullying or harmful content.
The Anti-Bullying Centre is also recommending that online safety and digital citizenship education should be a compulsory topic in schools.
Researchers also conducted focus groups in six schools in the east.
Students reported that they were not taught enough in school about online safety and digital citizenship, leading them instead to rely on their peers for guidance and skills.
Some pupils also reported that teachers cause distractions to the learning environment with their phone use.
Others were concerned that smartphone bans may inhibit students from learning resilience and skills for life beyond school.
And the report found that students' voices have not been included in decision-making on smartphone restrictions in schools.
Lead author of the report, Dr Megan Reynolds, said: 'Our research shows that we need to listen to students on issues that directly impact them and ensure that they are included in the decision-making process regarding policies on smartphone bans and related issues.
'My hope is that this research will allow adolescents to finally have their voices heard and it will provide an opportunity for more nuanced conversations on smartphones.'
The director of DCU's Anti-Bullying Centre and Unesco chair on Bullying and Cyberbullying, Prof James O'Higgins Norman, added: 'Students have also indicated that there are more pressing issues for students than smartphones in schools that they believe require action, including vaping.'
But while a ban for secondary students remains under scrutiny, there is growing support for a veto on phones for younger students.
Several primary schools located in Co Louth have asked parents not to give their children a phone for use in school, or at home, until they finish sixth class.
And almost 90% of parents who responded to a survey circulated by the schools last year have agreed and signed this voluntary charter.
Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
15 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Govt walks back plans to force companies to slap health warnings on booze amid rising cost pressure & Trump tariff fears
THE Government has canned plans to force booze companies to put health warnings on beer, wine and spirits. The measure has been slapped with a two-year delay due to concerns that it would hurt Irish 3 Frank Murray of Alcohol Action Ireland said there is a huge link between cancer and alcohol consumption 3 Tainiste Simon Harris brought the motion to cabinet Credit: PA The last The law was due to kick in next year but the Cabinet today agreed to put it on the long finger following backlash by the booze businesses. Industry figures had warned the Government that the introduction of the labels specifically for Ireland would create an added cost for businesses which could have an impact on prices for consumers. This increase in cost for companies was coming at a time when Trump is threatening tariffs of up to 30 per cent on all goods travelling from READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS Many Irish beer and whiskey companies rely on the US market for major sales, and tariffs run the risk of hurting their bottom line. In a bid to ease the pressure on these companies, the Cabinet today agreed to delay the introduction of the Tanaiste The Tanaiste told his Government colleagues that the delay will enable the Most read in Irish News However, one Minister told the Irish Sun that the alcohol labelling law will not see the light of day under the current Government. They said: 'That's that done. You won't be hearing about that again.' 'PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THOSE RISKS' Alcohol Action Ireland had previously slammed the Government's decision to delay the label law. Chairperson of Alcohol Action Ireland Professor Frank Murray told 'Unfortunately, the risk of alcohol consumption in terms of cancer, for instance, begins at very low levels of alcohol consumption, particularly breast cancer. 'Again, most people don't know that I'm afraid.' NEW PLAN The The proposal comes as part of a newly published ten-year NHS plan. There have also been similar initiatives in other countries — including 3 It was proposed that booze get slapped with a health warning Credit: Getty
Irish Independent
17 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Trump pulls US out of ‘woke' and ‘divisive' UNESCO for second time
The withdrawal from the Paris-based agency, which was founded after World War Two to promote peace through international cooperation in education, science, and culture, will take effect at the end of next year. The move is in line with the Trump administration's broader "America-first" foreign policy, which includes a deep scepticism of multilateral groups, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, and the NATO alliance. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said UNESCO "supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for." The US state department accused UNESCO of supporting "a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy". It said its decision to admit the Palestinians as a member state was "highly problematic, contrary to US policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric." UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay said she deeply regretted Trump's decision, but it was "expected, and UNESCO has prepared for it." Posting on X, French president Emmanuel Macron professed "unwavering support" for the "universal protector" of world heritage and said the US move would not weaken France's commitment to UNESCO. UNESCO officials said the US withdrawal would have some limited impact on US--financed programmes. Azoulay said UNESCO had diversified funding sources, receiving only about 8pc of its budget from Washington. UNESCO was one of several international bodies Trump withdrew from during his first term, along with the World Health Organisation, the Paris Agreement climate change accord, and the UN Human Rights Council. During his second term, he has largely reinstated those steps. Trump's pick to be his UN envoy, Mike Waltz, said this month the United Nations needs reform while expressing confidence that "we can make the UN great again." Israel praises US moral support and leadership Israel welcomed the US decision with its UN ambassador, Danny Danon, accusing UNESCO of "consistent misguided anti-Israel bias'. In a post on X, Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar, thanked Washington for its "moral support and leadership" and said that "Singling out Israel and politicization by member states must end, in this and all professional UN agencies." US senator Jeanne Shaheen, the senior Democrat on the Republican-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called Trump's decision "short-sighted and a win for China," which she said became the largest financial contributor to UNESCO after Trump last withdrew from the agency. UNESCO officials said all relevant agency statements had been agreed with both Israel and the Palestinians over the past eight years. Azoulay said the US had given the same reasons for its pullout as it had seven years ago "even though the situation has changed profoundly, political tensions have receded, and UNESCO today constitutes a rare forum for consensus on concrete and action-oriented multilateralism'. "These claims also contradict the reality of UNESCO's efforts, particularly in the field of Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism," she added. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is best known for designating World Heritage Sites, including the US Grand Canyon and Egypt's pyramids. It lists 26 sites in the United States, including the Statue of Liberty, on its World Heritage List which highlights 1,248 global locations of "outstanding universal value." Washington has had a troubled relationship with UNESCO over the years. It was a founding member in 1945 but first withdrew in 1984 to protest alleged financial mismanagement and perceived anti-US bias during the Cold War. It returned in 2003 under US president George W. Bush, who said UNESCO had undertaken needed reforms, but in 2011 the Obama administration announced it was stopping funding for the agency following its vote to grant the Palestinians full membership. Trump's first administration announced in 2017 it was quitting after accusing UNESCO of anti-Israeli bias, with Washington owing $542 million in dues, before former US president Biden reversed the decision in 2023.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Paul Hosford: US tariffs take shine off summer economic statement
Tariffs. They are the prince to the hamlet of global economic conversation, the dark cloud blotting out the sun of economic prosperity; they are omnipresent. On Tuesday, in Government Buildings, their prospect hung low as the Government announced its summer economic statement and National Development Plan. In a two-and-a-half-hour session of back-to-back press briefings, government leaders stressed the need to "recalibrate" economic plans in the face of the Trump administration's threats of a trade war with the EU. While Tánaiste Simon Harris has said that a 10% scenario is "baked in", the summer economic statement was based on a zero-tariff scenario. This, both finance minister Paschal Donohoe and public expenditure minister Jack Chambers, said would see the plans for the budget change if tariffs aren't avoided after August 1. In the document, the tax package available will amount to €1.5bn. The spending package will be €7.9bn, an increase of 7.3% on the revised 2025 general expenditure ceiling, but there are caveats. The most notable is that the Government isn't sure how much of that €7.9bn is spoken for. In previous summer economic statements, the existing levels of service has been outlined to break the available money down between extra spending and tax cuts. However, Mr Chambers said on Tuesday he was going to "engage with government partners" on just what their spending for this year will actually be. So, as of now, there is no clarity on just how much money Mr Chambers has to play with when ministers come banging on the door looking for their spending envelopes in September. Of course, Mr Chambers later said that this year's spending ceiling of €105.4bn will be overrun by €3.3bn, meaning that some departments will receive supplementary budgets. Uncertainty reigns The document itself is much more limited than previous ones, not featuring projections for future years, a sign that uncertainty reigns. "Our budget day decisions could change depending on the economic environment we find ourselves in during the summer and beyond," Mr Donohoe said, rejecting the idea that the statement was a wasted exercise given that much of the economic outlook will be decided after the EU and US decide what the future of their relationship will look like. It's very clear that we're at a moment of significant transition That level of transition is weighing heavily on Irish policymakers but, as they preach prudence on one hand, government leaders had taken to the same stage just minutes previously to talk about record amounts of money which would be unleashed to build houses, infrastructure, and safeguard future finances. The revised National Development Plan was touted as "transformational" and would "overcome pinch points that are holding back investment", but its announcement was a lot less prescriptive than in previous years. Whereas plans in the past were effectively a shopping list of projects it would aim to deliver from roads to mega projects in water, electricity, and transport, this version is more a statement of intent. With billions set to be deployed, categories for spending were remarkably vague. Much of the investment will go towards housing, with a total allocation of €36bn in the next five years. Some €7.68bn of this will go to water. This does not include another €4.5bn in 'equity injections', which brings the total for housing and water to €40bn. Some €22.3bn will be spent on transport, with €2bn for the Dublin Metrolink. Sea change in Irish policy For the public who are hearing that belts need to be tightened and day-to-day spending is to be "moderated", they may look at the billions heading towards projects aimed at other parts of the country and wonder where all of the money is going. In truth, we don't know yet. The plan is merely a way for the Government to ringfence funding that can be argued for when individual departments work out what they can deliver and when. Pumping money into infrastructure is both necessary and overdue, but the watchword here will be delivery. For something which is being touted as a sea change in Irish policy, it doesn't feel like it This is largely down to two factors: A lack of detail on projects, and even less detail on how delivery of infrastructure is going to change pace in Ireland all of a sudden. The ringfencing of €2bn for the Metrolink in Dublin was hailed as a show of commitment, but the project has been on the political agenda for a decade — after a decade and a half of planning before that. I, personally, have been to two launches. At what point was it not committed to? The plan is a war chest the likes of which has never been seen. It has the potential to genuinely transform Ireland. However, its lack of a detailed timeline or plan of how this will be achieved will leave much to be desired from a public that is facing the reality of an economic downturn head-on. Read More Government to invest €102bn in infrastructure by 2030 under revised National Development Plan
